Motion-Activated Fluid Dispenser for Hygienic Viscous Fluid Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motion-activated dispensers for viscous fluids, such as personal lubricants, face issues with residual fluid left in the dispenser, leading to messiness and unacceptable waste, which is not hygienic and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser design featuring a housing with a base and top portion, a pressing member, and an actuator system that uses a proximity sensor to activate the actuator upon hand movement, ensuring no residual fluid contacts the dispenser, with a collapsible reservoir and a heating element for temperature control, allowing for efficient and hygienic dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If motion-activated dispensing is used for viscous fluids, then hygiene is improved by reducing contact with the dispenser, but residual fluid left in the dispenser causes messiness and unacceptable waste
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is divided into distinct functional zones: a fluid delivery system that contacts the user and a reservoir system that remains isolated. The fluid passes through a controlled delivery mechanism rather than being stored in open contact with dispensing components, segmenting the fluid path to prevent residual fluid from contaminating the dispenser interior.
Solution Approach 2:
A fluid delivery system acts as an intermediary between the reservoir and the user. This intermediary mechanism delivers the viscous fluid through a controlled path, ensuring that residual fluid does not remain in contact with the dispenser's internal components, thus preventing messiness and waste while maintaining hygiene.
2Productivity
If a large reservoir is used to reduce refilling frequency, then productivity is improved, but residual fluid in the dispenser increases waste and messiness
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the fluid storage and delivery functions. A large collapsible reservoir provides bulk storage for reduced refilling frequency, while a separate controlled delivery mechanism ensures complete fluid evacuation. This segmentation allows the reservoir to be large without compromising hygiene, as the delivery system prevents residual fluid accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical state or properties of the fluid delivery mechanism to accommodate viscous fluids from a large reservoir. By adjusting delivery parameters (pressure, flow control, heating), the system can completely evacuate viscous fluid from the reservoir, preventing waste while maintaining the benefit of large reservoir capacity for productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If viscous fluid is dispensed using existing soap dispensing mechanisms, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the dispensing effectiveness deteriorates due to residual fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing mechanism transitions from static soap dispensing design to a dynamic system with active control elements. The mechanism incorporates movable or adjustable components that can adapt to viscous fluid properties, enabling complete evacuation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular design adaptations of existing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system modifies key parameters of the dispensing mechanism (pressure, flow rate, temperature) to handle viscous fluids effectively. By changing these operational parameters, the existing mechanism structure can be adapted to achieve complete fluid evacuation without requiring entirely new hardware, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving dispensing reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution prevents residual fluid from contacting the dispenser, reducing waste and ensuring hygiene by activating the actuator only when a hand is present, and the heating element maintains the fluid's optimal temperature, enhancing dispensing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a proximity sensor mounted in the housing and configured to detect movement within the gap
Implementation Method 2
a temperature-control element in thermal contact with the cavity or otherwise placed to heat the fluid reservoir. The temperature-control element is preferably a heating element, such as a resistance heater
Implementation Method 3
A fluid reservoir may be positioned within the cavity, the fluid reservoir including a neck having a pressure actuated opening at a distal end thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A motion-activated dispenser includes a housing having a base and top defining a gap sized to receive a human hand. The top portion defining cavity sized to receive a fluid reservoir and an opening extending directly through a lower surface of the top portion to the cavity, a neck of the fluid reservoir extending through the opening. A pressing member is positioned within the cavity and an actuator is coupled to the pressing member and configured to urge the pressing member toward and away from the opening. The pressing member may include, for example, a sliding member positioned opposite a stop face; a roller moved by the actuator toward the opening; a plunger positioned above the opening and driven by an actuator toward the opening; or a pair of rods spanning the cavity and urged by the actuator through the cavity, the rods pressing against sides of the reservoir.